The Konoha Police Headquarters wasn't as grim from the inside as I'd imagined. And yes... it was my first time visiting it, even though I sometimes went with my Dad when he was patrolling the village, but I never came in. For some reason, I always pictured the place as an underground bunker with cells carved from rock, straight out of a medieval movie. Instead, it was neat, almost bureaucratic, like an office building, with scrolls and files stacked in rows of cabinets, dozens of desks, and private rooms, probably for detectives or something... It was... a police station. Nothing more, nothing less. Still, the silence was a bit unnerving, as it felt like only we were the ones inside... Yet I could see other Uchihas moving behind some of the doors with frosted glass put in the middle, bearing the clan's red and white emblem.
Following him, Fugaku led me through a long corridor without saying a word, making me count my footsteps instead to keep my calm. Despite everything, I was nervous, as... this could go really badly for me. I took a deep breath, just the moment as he opened the door to a smaller office, herding me in first. I braced myself for the coming yelling, interrogation, lamp being shoved into my face, the whole drill, especially after he pointed to a chair with another command.
"Sit."
I did, because refusing wasn't exactly an option... Then I watched as he closed the door behind us, crossed to the opposite desk, and, to my surprise, poured me a cup of water.
"Here," he said, placing it within reach. "Drink. I assume you're tired from beating all those kids down."
"...Thanks?" I muttered, staring at the cup like it might explode... Okay, this was not how I expected an interrogation to start, and he looked way too calm. He even... joked? Or... was that a joke? No, that was probably not a joke.
While I took a sip, thinking if it had some kind of drug in it or not, Fugaku settled into his chair, his posture remaining straight, his hands folded before his chest. He didn't activate his Sharingan, didn't glare at me to put me under a genjutsu or something, and he didn't even raise his voice, just... waited for me to drink. Haaah... somehow, I could see why he later on became the head of the clan... he had an... aura.
"So," he began finally, after I let go of the glass, his tone somewhat serious but not unfriendly at all, "tell me what happened."
"I walked Sayuri Yamanaka home from the Academy," I started, keeping my words short, on point, and honest, as that was my best bet now. "I had already noticed that Arai was following us, probably out of jealousy. When I turned to leave, he and four others stopped me. They surrounded me, and I warned them that it was a bad idea. So... When they threw the first punch, I defended myself."
"Five against one," he nodded, clicking his pen and taking out a notebook and writing my words down, "And you didn't use lethal force." He added.
"Why would I?" I asked back, "I broke their bones and cracked a few heads. Nothing worse... It should be painful but easily fixable with the medical ninjas' skill we have in the village. My Mom is one, I know what they can do."
"Hm..." His pen stopped mid-writing as he looked up at me, his dark eyes giving nothing away of what he was actually thinking of, "Are you certain?"
"Pretty sure," I said with a dry smile. "I aimed to disable, not to kill... I am not going to put up with their nonsense and let them think I am afraid, so they can keep bullying me or Sayuri. I taught them a lesson that their bodies will remember... especially if their parents failed to do so in the past."
"..." He made a quiet noise, exhaling through his nose, and continued writing, taking my statements, I guess. The only sound for a while was the scratch of his pen against the paper, before he eventually leaned back slightly and studied me again, this time not like an officer but more like a teacher evaluating a student.
"You held back remarkably well," he said, smiling just a little, "Five assailants, using their ninja tools... Not many your age would have maintained that kind of control, especially because you have already been instructed in the usage of ninjutsu."
"Well... yeah..." I blinked my eyes, a bit lost here... Was that… praise? "I just didn't want to start a clan feud," I added, "There was an Akamichi amongst them, after all... Still, it was an Uchiha who started it, so... I think I managed to strike a balance."
"..." I noticed that his mouth almost twitched into a smirk. Almost... But he held back. "Practical." He nodded, "I like that. Smarter than Arai, that's for sure."
"He is... pretty much... Well... He is as he is..." I stopped myself from badmouthing a clan member, but Fugaku just shook his head.
"I was talking about the older Arai," he muttered, making me almost chuckle, gulping it down the last moment, "Well," He leaned forward, "Because one of the aggressors and the perpetrator was an Uchiha, the matter falls under internal review. The police will not escalate it further if your retelling matches up with the evidence and their version. Of course, we expect them to lie, but... the truth will always come to light," He added, and for a moment I could swear I saw the faint flicker of his Sharingan going on and off in the blink of an eye, "Until then, you'll stay under clan jurisdiction... Meaning: House arrest. But between you and me," he added, lowering his voice slightly, "I don't expect it will take long. The witnesses will support your story..."
"That's… it?" I asked, waiting for the catch, and... witnesses? We only have... victims... Wait... Was he... watching it?! Or someone else?
"For now." He stood, walking around the desk until he was beside me. "Renjiro, was it?"
"Yes, sir." I nodded.
"..." Silently, he looked at me for a bit more before continuing, "Your restraint impresses me. Most young men with that kind of power lose their heads... You didn't. Just look at Arai, just because of his name, he acts like a spoiled brat. I am glad it was one of ours who put him in his place and not someone else... that would have been worse!"
"Ah... um... you're welcome?" I blurted it out, making him shake his head.
"Keep it up... And remember, Renjiro, power without discipline destroys you. Make us proud..."
It was weird, hearing something that... was... well... It felt kind of wise and encouraging, from the man I'd grown up thinking of as Itachi's strict, cold father. Huh... In person, Fugaku wasn't that cold at all, okay, he wasn't sunshine and rainbows either, but he was warm in that unsettling way... Eh... Now I was confused, maybe even bamboozled. Then, probably noticing my surprise, he placed a hand on my shoulder, the gesture being strangely personal.
"Go home for tonight and rest. I'll speak to your father myself."
"Ah... Um," I nodded slowly, standing up, "Understood. And… thank you, Chief."
"I'm not the Chief... yet." His gaze scanned me again, smiling. "You have potential," he said finally, stepping back, opening the door for me. "The clan needs young ones who have the strength and the proper judgment in equal measure. Perhaps, when the time comes, you will find your place in the Police Force."
That was the moment it clicked for me... He is laying the foundations to recruit me. He will make the problem go away and probably bring it up in the future, one way or another. Or not... I can't be sure but, haaah... We will see. Walking out of the station, without being stopped or questioned by anyone else, I looked up at the moon, thinking... Maybe if I can get close to him and steer him to a different way... Would I be able to stop the coup before it even materializes?
...
....
.....
The next day was… boring. I mean, after Mom and Dad gave me an earful, just before they had to leave for work... but still, it was painfully dull. The kind of boring that made me wish for more homework, because I was also done with everything...
"Haaah... House arrest sucks..."
I had the urge to go out but... If Fugaku said stay put… yeah, even I wasn't dumb enough to test that boundary. I bet someone was watching the house or me, and I am not good enough to test that or slip out... It is best not to play with fire.
So, I was lying on my stomach, kicking my legs lazily in the air while reviewing hand signs and trying to remember some cool jutsus, mimicking them and testing the feeling they gave out. I was doing that until something thumped on the roof and I froze, about to form the horse-seal. What was that...? Another thump... Then... A head appeared upside-down at my window, specifically, Minato's head.
"Hey." I stared at him, twitching my mouth while he stared back. "You're upside down," I helpfully pointed out, seeing some nervousness leave his eyes, then watched as his mouth formed a smile.
"I know," he answered as if that somehow made this reasonable. "Your house has terrible footholds... Took me three tries to lower myself properly..."
"I can see that... Soooo... What are you doing on our roof?"
"You're under house arrest." He answered promptly.
"Yes, but I didn't break my legs or anything. You could have just knocked."
"I didn't want your neighbors to see." He swung down more, hanging by his legs like a bat. "Mind letting me in?"
"Yeah, yeah, come on, I think you hanging down in my window is more suspicious than if you came in through the front door..." I laughed as I opened the window wider so he could swing inside without face-planting onto my bed. Of course, he landed with that typical, catlike grace, no wasted movements or anything, and once he was inside, he dusted off his knees and looked at me properly.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Duh," I opened my arms, letting him examine me, "You climbed onto my roof to ask that?"
"Yes."
"Thanks." I smiled, "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"Eh?" I raised a brow, looking over myself, but I... could see nothing. They definitely didn't hit me at all... And I didn't notice any bruises. "Really? Please, define this... 'not fine' thing."
"You're doing homework voluntarily." He pointed at the completed assignments on my desk.
"…Okay, yeah, fair." I chuckled, seeing him in a joking mood.
"I heard what happened," he eventually continued, returning to a more serious mood, "Well… everyone heard what happened because half the Academy thinks you nearly killed them. The other half thinks you were about to roast them alive when the Police arrived, stopping you from casting the fireball."
"Both halves are wrong and they exaggerate," I rolled my eyes, "They're only partially crippled and the fireball went up to the sky, to alert the nearby patrols.
"Proud of it, huh?" He huffed, "So... How much trouble are you in?"
"Clan trouble only, well, maybe. Village trouble? Apparently... no. Fugaku took my statement himself, and he said it'll get sorted out. So, until that happens, I'm sitting in here like a princess, waiting for my shining prince to come and rescue me."
"Ew." Minato grimaced, hitting my shoulders, "No chance."
"My feelings!" I laughed, holding my chest, but then he became pretty serious again, making me raise my brows.
"Renji… you did nothing wrong. You protected yourself," he explained, looking into my eyes. "And someone else! Plus, you didn't escalate it beyond what was necessary. You could have hurt them a lot worse... But you didn't. Anyone saying otherwise doesn't understand how fighting works! I was so angry today... they have been saying... some pretty bad stuff about you..."
"I guess," I muttered, picking at the corner of my notebook. "Still... Thanks... And don't bother yourself about that. It doesn't really matter what they say, especially if things get sorted out by the police."
"They may say it was because you are an Uchiha," Minato warned me, but I just hummed, crossing my arms.
"Then that would be stupid, because Arai is an Uchiha, too."
"It was what I was telling them, too..." He shrugged, then looked at the clock, springing to his feet, "I should leave, lunch is almost over, I have to be back at the Academy!"
"You are quick, you'll make it," I chuckled, watching him hop onto the window like a cat. "Will you come over later?"
"Probably not." He said, looking back over his shoulder, hiding a smile.
"Why?" I asked, surprised by his swift answer.
"Sayuri is worried and feels guilty," He said, ready to jump, "And I don't want to intrude when she comes over!"
And with that... he was already gone, not even waiting for my answer... Wait...? Sayuri is coming over? Haaah... How many times will I have to repeat what happened...?